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If it wasn't for Timpview, East might have added to its haul of 16 state football titles the last few years.
The Leopards, who meet the Thunderbirds on Friday for the Class 4A state championship, have a history with their foe.
Timpview beat East in the semifinals in 2012, knocked off the heavily favored Leopards in the 2013 state title game, and defeated East in last year's first round.
That's why Leopards coach Brandon Matich, the grandson of legendary East coach Grant Martin, and players such as running back Jaylen Warren and center Pate Langi were focused Tuesday.
"I don't want to be the Marv Levy of high school football," joked Matich, referring to the Buffalo Bills coach who lost four Super Bowls.
Matich-coached teams lost to Logan in 2011 and Timpview in 2013 state title games. The last East state football title came in 1996.
He has beat Timpview once, in the 2011 semifinals.
Warren, a junior running back, and Langi, a junior offensive lineman, have both suited up for state games against Timpview and have respect for the Thunderbirds.
Warren remembers the loss in the state title game when he was a freshman.
"It was a sad moment," he said. "The whole year we were having fun. We were all with each other. I remember seeing [the seniors] cry. It was a heartbreaking moment."
He said Timpview looks tough on film, with defenders trained to dive for their opponents' legs and their linemen spinning off the block.
"They are really physical," said Warren.
Langi remembers being hit hard by graduated Timpview star Gabe Reid on special teams last year. That seemed to have left an impression.
"It will be hard, but I think that is good," he said about Friday's matchup.
East and Matich have had an interesting and, at times, difficult year in getting to this point. The status of quarterback Johnnie Lang was in limbo and the star didn't get eligible until the fifth week of the season, when he had to leave the game against Colorado's Christian Valor due to sickness. Some players quit, including during the middle of one game. And the Leopards are young, with 14 sophomores starting.
Playing Timpview again will not make things any easier.
"They always have great athletes," said Matich, now in his sixth season as coach at East. "Their defensive line is always big and physical, and they match up well with us. Their kids expect to win and be in that position every year. That mindset is a powerful thing. … It's the old Skyline thing. It's the same with Bingham. Once you start winning, that pressure is a powerful motivator."
Matich said his young team possesses the best offensive line he has coached. And he said his squad has had the ability to keep its eyes forward and focused on a mission.
"Most important is not only their focus, but their work ethic and respect for other players from the past," he said. "We've had a lot of players come back to talk to them. There have been emotional meetings. We want to do right by them."
Finally, Matich is motivated by family history. His grandfather, Grant Martin, won titles at East in 1956, '64 and '74 and the current East coach would like to be another family member to add a gold trophy to the Leopards' case.
Twitter: @tribtomwharton East football history
• East, which has won 16 state football titles (second only to West), is seeking its first crown since 1996.
• The Leopards beat Timpview in the 2011 semifinals, but lost to the Thunderbirds in the 2012 semifinals, the 2013 title game and in the first round in 2014.
• Brandon Matich will be coaching East in the title game for the third time in his sixth season as the Leopards' coach. —
Class 4A championship
P East vs. Timpview, at Rice-Eccles Stadium
Friday, 6:30 p.m.
TV • KJZZ